Hans Bellmer

(German, 1902–1975)

Hans Bellmer was a German Surrealist artist known for his life-size dolls and erotic photography. His earliest dolls—perversions of the female form with legs growing out of legs—were created out of a desire to oppose the Nazi Regime’s goal of so-called physical perfection. “The female body is like an endless sentence that invites us to rearrange it,” the artist once observed, “so that its real meaning becomes clear through a series of endless anagrams.” He was born on March 13, 1902 in Kattowitz, Germany, in what is now Poland. Once he received the label of degenerate artist, Bellmer fled his home country and moved to Paris, where his challenging work was embraced by members of the Surrealist movement, especially André Breton. After the war, the artist moved into other media, including sexually explicit photography and paintings that explored fetishism through dream-like imagery. He notably collaborated with the artist Unica Zürn on the photographic series Unica Tied Up, featuring close-up images of flesh bulging around tight rope binding in an investigation of sadomasochistic practices. Bellmer died on February 23, 1975 in Paris, France at the age of 72.

Hans Bellmer Artworks

Hans Bellmer (2,867 results)
NAISSANCE, 1975

Hans Bellmer

NAISSANCE, 1975

Sale Date: October 10, 1992

Auction Closed

HEINRICH VON KLEIST. LES MARIONETTES. (MAPPE), 1969

Hans Bellmer

HEINRICH VON KLEIST. LES MARIONETTES. (MAPPE), 1969

Sale Date: October 10, 1992

Auction Closed

SOUTERRAIN II., 1975

Hans Bellmer

SOUTERRAIN II., 1975

Sale Date: October 10, 1992

Auction Closed

Figurale Komposition

Hans Bellmer

Figurale Komposition

Sale Date: October 10, 1992

Auction Closed

FANTASY COMPOSITION (WOMEN AT THE EDGE OF A...

Hans Bellmer

FANTASY COMPOSITION (WOMEN AT THE EDGE OF A...

Sale Date: October 10, 1992

Auction Closed

DESHABILLAGE  (AUS DER FOLGE:   THE NOBEL..., 1975

Hans Bellmer

DESHABILLAGE (AUS DER FOLGE: THE NOBEL..., 1975

Sale Date: October 10, 1992

Auction Closed

AUS: LES MARIONETTES VON HEINRICH KLEIST, 1969

Hans Bellmer

AUS: LES MARIONETTES VON HEINRICH KLEIST, 1969

Sale Date: October 10, 1992

Auction Closed

MODE D'EMPLOI, 1953

Hans Bellmer

MODE D'EMPLOI, 1953

Sale Date: October 10, 1992

Auction Closed

SADE (HEIGHTENED WITH WHITE GOUACHE ON GRAPH , 1946

Hans Bellmer

SADE (HEIGHTENED WITH WHITE GOUACHE ON GRAPH , 1946

Sale Date: October 8, 1992

Auction Closed

HISTOIRE DE L'OEIL (#85/100); SAMT TO...

Hans Bellmer

HISTOIRE DE L'OEIL (#85/100); SAMT TO...

Sale Date: September 30, 1992

Auction Closed

LE CEPHALOPODE DOUBLE, 1965

Hans Bellmer

LE CEPHALOPODE DOUBLE, 1965

Sale Date: September 21, 1992

Auction Closed

FROM MADAME EDWARDA, 1965

Hans Bellmer

FROM MADAME EDWARDA, 1965

Sale Date: September 21, 1992

Auction Closed

LE CHAPEAU-MAIN, 1947

Hans Bellmer

LE CHAPEAU-MAIN, 1947

Sale Date: September 21, 1992

Auction Closed

LA CEPHALOPODE

Hans Bellmer

LA CEPHALOPODE

Sale Date: September 21, 1992

Auction Closed

FROM MADAME EDWARDA, 1965

Hans Bellmer

FROM MADAME EDWARDA, 1965

Sale Date: September 21, 1992

Auction Closed

SPIDER WEB

Hans Bellmer

SPIDER WEB

Sale Date: September 21, 1992

Auction Closed

SURREALIST COMPOSITION

Hans Bellmer

SURREALIST COMPOSITION

Sale Date: September 11, 1992

Auction Closed

SURREALIST COMPOSITION-FIVE FIGURES

Hans Bellmer

SURREALIST COMPOSITION-FIVE FIGURES

Sale Date: September 11, 1992

Auction Closed

LE TRICOT, 1952

Hans Bellmer

LE TRICOT, 1952

Sale Date: July 9, 1992

Auction Closed

Composition

Hans Bellmer

Composition

Sale Date: July 7, 1992

Auction Closed

ELEMENTS DE POUPEE (VERS 1930)

Hans Bellmer

ELEMENTS DE POUPEE (VERS 1930)

Sale Date: July 3, 1992

Auction Closed

MILLE FILLES, 1939

Hans Bellmer

MILLE FILLES, 1939

Sale Date: June 29, 1992

Auction Closed

FILLE-PHALLUS, 1962

Hans Bellmer

FILLE-PHALLUS, 1962

Sale Date: June 29, 1992

Auction Closed

NU COUCHE, 1929

Hans Bellmer

NU COUCHE, 1929

Sale Date: June 29, 1992

Auction Closed